Home Invasion Caught on Surveillance Video

CLEVELAND — It was a horrifying wake-up call for people sleeping in their home on Cleveland’s west side Monday morning.

“It’s a hell of a thing to wake up to in the morning, to a gun to your back,” said one of the victims, who did not want to be identified.

“I was sleeping and I heard a bang on the back door, and a loud bang, and they said ‘police,’ so I figured something was going on,” the man said.

He was right.

Three masked men, armed with assault weapons, kicked in the door and burst into his home at seven in the morning.

“By the time I get up out of bed there’s two guys ransacking my room. [They] come up to me and stick a cold barrel to my back,” he said.

But the house was filled with surveillance cameras.

In one clip you can see one of the attackers with what appears to be an Uzi gun in his hand, pacing in one of the rooms.

“They held me hostage for a while and took me downstairs, slowly, next my roommate, and put a pillow over my head. When they put the pillow over my head I thought that was it. I thought I was gone,” the victim said.

Another victim, Ronney Cooper, was upstairs in his room the entire time, he said.

Cooper put the cameras in because of a previous burglary.

“But this is the first time it was a home invasion,” Cooper said.

The victims turned the tapes over to the police. However, the victims want the public to see them because in one of the clips one of the robbers takes his mask off.

“Some guy come outside, took his mask off and I hope that this picture someone recognizes him and reports it,” Cooper said.

Police said the men stole electronics and money, among other things.

Cooper fears the men will target others as well.

“It’s scary just to have it happen to you, and I really hope these people get caught,” Cooper said.

The suspects fled in a silver-colored car.

Anyone with information is urged to call Cleveland Police, First District Detectives at (216) 623-5118.